Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2002 12:41 pmPosts: 14036Location: From some place in this area...

I could not find the original thread at all, maybe it was deleted in the transition...

So I am starting a new one, check it out:

The Philippines' taste for civet coffeeBy Sarah TomsBBC News, Manila

The Philippines has recently discovered it produces one of the world's most expensive and coveted kinds of coffee.

But it comes from an unusual source - the droppings of a nocturnal, cat-like animal called the palm civet.

Civets, related to the mongoose, are usually seen as pests in the Philippines and hunted for their meat.

But their droppings are worth their weight in gold.

Known locally as alamid, civets are carnivorous but they also have a taste for the sweet, red coffee cherries that contain the beans.

The beans pass through the civet whole after fermenting in the stomach and that's what gives the coffee its unique taste and aroma.

'Best-kept secret'

A group of professional coffee lovers followed the trail of the civet droppings high into the Malarayat mountain range, south of Manila, in search of the exotic beans.

One of them, Antonio Reyes of the Philippine coffee certifying board, said civet coffee was one of the Philippines' best-kept secrets.

"I heard the old folks in the coffee farming areas have been gathering this coffee for their own consumption. They never told people they had this kind of coffee," he said.

"It goes through some kind of natural processing which you can see from the roasted beans. It's more oily, there's more aroma and it's such a good taste that you can get value for money even if the cost is so high."

Civet coffee is one of the world's most expensive. In the Philippines, only 500 kg are produced a year and the roasted beans sell for more than $115 a kilogram.

Bean hunt

Lusina Montenegro, who collects the beans for a living, led the coffee experts to the civet droppings.

he climbs the mountain in her flip-flops, hunting for the beans in the thick undergrowth.

"Sometimes it's a big civet and then the droppings are also big, but sometimes it's a small one and then the droppings are small," she said.

Ms Montenegro puts the droppings in two containers - for the old ones, which resemble chalky beans, and for the fresh ones, which look like yellow beans in gravy.

She rinses the beans in forest streams and dries them on her patio before they are sold on to Bote Central, a company that exports the beans to Japan.

Niche market

The developers of the brand are a husband and wife team, Vie and Basil Reyes.

The couple was involved in conservation work for the sugar palm and the civets that live among the trees. They made organic vinegar from the palms and started selling the civet coffee alongside it in small bazaars.

Now the coffee has become so successful they are hoping to start brewing up profits in Taiwan and North America.

Mr Reyes of the coffee certifying agency also hopes the struggling local coffee industry can mirror the success Indonesia and Vietnam have enjoyed with their brands of civet coffee.

"I never thought it was also available in the Philippines, so when I first heard of it I thought this is one kind of coffee that we can look at and develop," he said. "If we have the volume then it's good for the niche market."

'Dark chocolate'

Andrew Gross, an Australian roast master, climbed the mountain to find out for himself what the attraction is of coffee that passes through the backside of a furry mammal.

Just like a wine connoisseur, he slowly slurped the brewed coffee, letting it travel across his tongue for the first time.

Mr Gross said he was surprised at how much he liked it, comparing the taste to fermented plum and dark chocolate with hazelnuts.

"There's obviously some substance to this in terms of what waves I am getting, but beyond the difference in flavours a lot of it has to do with hype and a lot of it has to do with the fact that it's fairly rare," he said.

It may not be everyone's cup of tea. But experts here hope coffee lovers will want to treat themselves to something special that might just help perk up the Philippine coffee industry.

California
In California, it is illegal to posses bear gall bladders.
In California, it is illegal to trip horses for entertainment.
In Blythe, California, a person must own two cows in order to legally wear cowboy boots in public.
In Los Angeles, a man is legally entitled to beat his wife with a leather belt or strap, but the belt can't be wider than 2 inches, unless he has his wife's consent to beat her with a wider strap. (Loony Laws" by Robert Pelton)
It is illegal to set a mousetrap without a hunting license.
Community leaders passed an ordinance that makes it illegal for anyone to try and stop a child from playfully jumping over puddles of water.
In L.A. it is against the law to complain through the mail that a hotel has cockroaches, even if it is true.
It is illegal to drive more than two thousand sheep down Hollywood Blvd. at one time.
It is illegal to whistle for a lost canary before 7 am in Berkeley, CA.
San Francisco is said to be the only city in the nation to have ordinances guaranteeing sunshine to the masses.
In Cupertino, California, it is illegal to count backwards audibly in hexadecimal.
The good burghers of Redwood City have outlawed the frying of gravy.
In Santa Clara, it is forbidden to dedicate parking spaces to the patron saint of television.
Prostitutes in San Francisco are not obliged to make change for bills larger than $50.
The city of Mountain View proscribes calling pet fish by "names of aggressive content, e.g. 'Biter', 'Killer', 'Sugar-Ray'"
Bicycles may not be ridden without "appropriate fashion accessories" anywhere in Santa Clara County (de facto law).
It is illegal to skateboard on walls "or other vertical surfaces" in Palo Alto.
Wearing a sweatshirt inside-out is deemed a "threatening misdemeanor" in Half-Moon Bay.
In 1930, the City Council of Ontario (California) passed an ordinance forbidding roosters to crow within the city limits.
In Los Angeles, you cannot bathe two babies in the same tub at the same time. (Loony Laws" by Robert Pelton)
In California, animals are banned from mating publicly within 1,500 feet of a tavern, school, or place of worship. (Loony Laws" by Robert Pelton)
Peeling an orange in your hotel room is banned in California (Legal Lunacy)
Los Angeles "Daily News": Have you ever had the urge to rip the tag from a pillow or mattress, despite the warning of dire penalties? Well, it's perfectly legal now, if you live in Colorado. Governor Roy Romer formalized the law by gleefully tearing a label from a pillow at his office. "I've been worrying about the mattress inspector jumping through the window for years," he said.

_________________You have just destroyed one model XQJ-37 nuclear powered pansexual roto-plooker....and you're gonna have to pay for it.

Woman's body in bedsit for years A woman's remains were found surrounded by unopened Christmas presents in a London bedsit two years after she is thought to have died, an inquest heard.
The TV and heating were still on when housing officers discovered the body of Joyce Vincent, 40, in her living room.

They had gone to the flat - a refuge for victims of domestic violence - to investigate thousands in rent arrears.

Police believe she died of natural causes probably in December 2003 and an inquest recorded an open verdict.

Some of Ms Vincent's relatives, including her sisters, attended the inquest at Hornsey Coroner's Court, held by Deputy Coroner Andrew Walker.

Dental records

Ms Vincent's body, found in January this year at the flat in Wood Green, north London, was so decomposed that the only way to identify her was to compare dental records with a holiday photograph.

A spokesman for the coroner said she had apparently been placed in the women's refuge accommodation as a victim of domestic violence.

When staff from the Metropolitan Housing Trust (MHT) arrived at the flat on 25 January they drilled the door open and discovered piles of mail - some marked February 2003 - plus medication and food with February 2003 expiry dates, the spokesman said.

Pathologist Dr Simon Poole told the inquest he had been unable to establish the cause of death because the remains were "largely skeletal", but police did not regard the circumstances as suspicious.

MHT issued a statement which read: "Ms Vincent moved into the property, which is general needs rented accommodation, in February 2003.

"Housing benefit was in part paying Ms Vincent's rent, therefore, given her age, there was no reason to suspect anything unusual had happened.

"During this period our records show MHT were not contacted by neighbours or family to raise any concerns and so we were only alerted when significant arrears built up and we tried to gain access."

The flat is part of a complex build above a shopping complex in Wood Green. Neighbours told the Guardian newspaper whenever they knocked at the door, no-one answered, so they assumed it was unoccupied.

No family shock
Michael Dobbs, who moved in in summer 2004 said: "I always thought it was an empty house. It's a shock to think that she had family and nobody came.
"It's also a puzzle how her electricity was not cut off because her TV was on all this time.

He told the paper it was a noisy building frequented by drug addicts, which could explain why no-one noticed the noise from the TV.
He said he had discovered someone dead, clutching a bottle of drink, in the lift weeks ago.
"I did notice a kind of rotten smell but the bins downstairs are strong and the stairwells smell with junkies.
"I did get a few bugs coming into my house so I had to keep the windows closed."

Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2002 12:41 pmPosts: 14036Location: From some place in this area...

Maldives fishermen in drugs haul

Maldives beach

Locals are said to have been concerned by the size of the cache
A group of fishermen in The Maldives got more than they bargained for when they reeled in the country's largest ever drugs haul, local media reports.

Joined: Tue Oct 29, 2002 12:41 pmPosts: 14036Location: From some place in this area...

Experts make flatulence-free bean

A method of creating super-nutritious but flatulence-free beans has been developed by scientists.

Beans are a cheap and key source of nutrition especially in the developing world, but many people are thought to be put off by anti-social side-effects.

A Venezuelan team says fermenting beans with certain friendly bacteria can cut the amount of wind-causing compounds, and boost beans' nutritional value.

The research appears in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture.

Flatulence is caused by bacteria that live in the large intestine breaking down parts of food - such as soluble fibre - that have not been digested higher in the gut

Beans, such as the black bean commonly eaten across Central and Southern America and tested by the team, contain many of these compounds.

Researchers from the Simon Bolivar University in Caracas found that by boosting the natural fermentation process by adding a particular type of bacteria , called Lactobacillus casei (L casei), the amount of these indigestible wind-causing compounds were reduced.

Soluble fibre was reduced by two thirds and the amount of raffinose, another flatulence-causing substance, by 88.6%.

But the amount of insoluble fibre, which is thought to have a beneficial effect on the gut and help the digestive system get rid of toxins, increased by 97.5%.

The team concludes that fermentation involving L casei could decrease flatulence compounds and increase nutritional quality.

They suggest the bacteria is used by the food industry to create better bean products.

The team led by Marisela Granito said: "Given that flatulence is one of the main limiting factors for the consumption of this important foodstuff, the implementation of processes which allow for nutritious and non-flatulence-producing beans to be obtained would be interesting."

'Social concerns'

Dr Frankie Phillips, a nutrition expert and spokeswoman for the British Dietetic Association, said: "This study provides an interesting lead in helping us to overcome some of the less desirable aspects of eating legumes - i.e. flatulence - whilst ensuring that the nutritional benefits from eating them remain.

"On a practical note, some people find that gradually increasing consumption levels of legumes helps, as the body adapts, and others have no symptoms at all.

"I'd suggest trying small portions of legumes as part of a meal and gradually eating larger portions as they can be tolerated."

She said that products existed, mainly in the US, which can help reduce flatulence.

She added: "Despite the obvious social concerns, there is no physiological harm from the flatulence caused by eating beans and other legumes, and considerable nutritional benefits from eating them owing to fibre content as well as a wide range of other nutrients and phytonutrients."

Madison County, Ill., lawyer Gary Peel, 62, who was battling an ex-wife over alimony, filed for bankruptcy to reduce her chances of getting anything, and then when she challenged his filing, he allegedly tried to blackmail her into silence. According to federal charges against him in March, he told his ex-wife that, unless she relented, he would shock her elderly parents by giving them decades-old nude photos of him with the ex-wife's younger sister. However, Peel perhaps forgot that the sister was allegedly only 16 when the photos were taken, and he has been charged with possessing child pornography.

_________________You have just destroyed one model XQJ-37 nuclear powered pansexual roto-plooker....and you're gonna have to pay for it.

70-year-old women held for LA kill and claim scam
By Daisy Nguyen in Los Angeles
Published: 21 May 2006

The crimes were six years apart, but the circumstances behind them were too chillingly similar for investigators to overlook: two homeless men run down by a car in dark alleys, no witnesses, and two elderly women coming forward, claiming to be relatives of the victims.

Helen Golay, 75, and Olga Rutterschmidt, 72, were arrested last week after they allegedly collected more than $2m (Â£1.1m) in life insurance from policies issued in the names of two homeless men killed in hit-and-run crashes in 1999 and 2005, authorities said.

Police not only believe the women were befriending other men to set up more insurance policies but may have driven the killer car themselves. "Anyone would think they would leave the actual dirty work to someone else or hire someone," said Detective Dennis Kilcoyne. "We're not so sure about that any more ... We're focusing directly at Helen and Olga for the murder investigation."

The women allegedly provided the men with apartments in exchange for signing a life insurance policy. According to investigators, the women duplicated their victims' signatures on rubber stamps and used them to secure more than a dozen other policies.

They appeared in court on Thursday for making false insurance claims, and were held without bail. Each faces up to 160 years in prison if convicted.

Investigators discovered the alleged scam while looking into a fatal hit-and-run accident. One investigator had mentioned the case of two women who had taken out large life insurance policies on 50-year-old Kenneth McDavid, when another recalled working on a similar case in 1999, in which 73-year-old Paul Vados was killed.

The crimes were six years apart, but the circumstances behind them were too chillingly similar for investigators to overlook: two homeless men run down by a car in dark alleys, no witnesses, and two elderly women coming forward, claiming to be relatives of the victims.

Helen Golay, 75, and Olga Rutterschmidt, 72, were arrested last week after they allegedly collected more than $2m (Â£1.1m) in life insurance from policies issued in the names of two homeless men killed in hit-and-run crashes in 1999 and 2005, authorities said.

Police not only believe the women were befriending other men to set up more insurance policies but may have driven the killer car themselves. "Anyone would think they would leave the actual dirty work to someone else or hire someone," said Detective Dennis Kilcoyne. "We're not so sure about that any more ... We're focusing directly at Helen and Olga for the murder investigation."

The women allegedly provided the men with apartments in exchange for signing a life insurance policy. According to investigators, the women duplicated their victims' signatures on rubber stamps and used them to secure more than a dozen other policies.

They appeared in court on Thursday for making false insurance claims, and were held without bail. Each faces up to 160 years in prison if convicted.

Investigators discovered the alleged scam while looking into a fatal hit-and-run accident. One investigator had mentioned the case of two women who had taken out large life insurance policies on 50-year-old Kenneth McDavid, when another recalled working on a similar case in 1999, in which 73-year-old Paul Vados was killed.
---

They even look evil:

_________________"When you hear music, after it's over, it's gone in the air. You can never capture it again." -- Eric Dolphy

Judge: Man Is Too Short for Prison
May 25 7:22 AM US/Eastern
Email this story

SIDNEY, Neb.

A judge said a 5-foot-1 man convicted of sexually assaulting a child was too small to survive in prison, and gave him 10 years of probation instead.

His crimes deserved a long sentence, District Judge Kristine Cecava said, but she worried that Richard W. Thompson, 50, would be especially imperiled by prison dangers.

"You are a sex offender, and you did it to a child," she said.

But, she said, "That doesn't make you a hunter. You do not fit in that category."

Thompson will be electronically monitored the first four months of his probation, and he was told to never be alone with someone under age 18 or date or live with a woman whose children were under 18. Cecava also ordered Thompson to get rid of his pornography.

He faces 30 days of jail each year of his probation unless he follows its conditions closely.

"I want control of you until I know you have integrated change into your life," the judge told Thompson. "I truly hope that my bet on you being OK out in society is not misplaced."

So hey, if you are 5'1" or shorter, commit all the crimes you want! The case is being appealed by the attorney general and he'll probably go to jail.

_________________One of the sanest, surest, and most generous joys of life comes from being happy over the good fortune of others.

A completely different nature:
The police in Eindhoven is looking for a man to APOLOGIZE to him. A policecar was driving at high speed to an accident, when they run through a large puddle, soaking the man standing next to it. The police hope the man will report to the police station.

If you go to the match Netherands-Mexico tonight in Eindhoven, you're allowed by KNVB (Dutch soccer/football association) to wear the Leeuwenhose (lion lederhose, see pic) from Bavaria (beer brand). At least, when it's bought. If the Leeuwenhose - orange trousers shaped like a lederhose with a lion's tail - is handed out by Bavaria near the stadium, KNVB will complain again.

Like on Wednesday, before Netherlands-Cameroon. Bavaria had handed out 15,000 Leeuwenhosen. The KNVB had confiscated them and thrown them away. Because of this, a number of supporters had to attend the match in their underwear.

Bavaria had filed a lawsuit against KNVB for forbidding the people wearing the Leeuwenhose to enter the stadium, and for stealing. Attorney Louwers (Bavaria) claimed the KNVB didn't mention it was forbidden to wear orange pants with the word "Bavaria". Also, it is not prohibited to hand out Leeuwenhosen.KNVB-attorney Kijff was not impressed, not even after Louwers had given him a nice pair of Leeuwenhose. Knijff wouldn't wear it unless he was given a purple version.

According to Knijff, Bavaria wants to exploit the Orange craze, causing bad behaviour from KNVB. The KNVB knew its duty towards their sponsor Heineken (another beer brand). Bought Hosen are allowed, free ones aren't. Knijff demanded the Hosen shouldn't be handed out within a 10 kilometer radius of the stadium. Louwers said that, during the World Championship all normal clothing with brand names or sponsor names could be worn.Knijff: "Your honour, I do not believe that these trousers, in all respects, cannot be counted as normal clothing."Judge: "In Germany they can."Knijff: "Well..."Judge: "Although... a tail..."Verdict is today.

Teletekst today:

Quote:

KNVB cannot forbid leeuwenhoseThe KNVB has to allow supporters wearing Leeuwenhosen tonight at Netherlands-Mexico and Sunday at Netherlands-Australia. This was ordered by the judge in a lawsuit started by beer brewery Bavaria today.

The leeuwenhose is a commercial item, orange trousers with a lion's tail. Saturday the KNVB didn't allow the trousers because they have a contract with beer brewery Heineken. The judge forbade Bavaria from handing out Leeuwenhosen in a 10 kilometer radius from the stadium.

Both KNVB and Bavaria are pleased with the verdict; Bavaria considers appeal to allow handing out.

I don't know... kinda like the orange Al Capone gangster hats they'reselling at 89 cents round the corner... Dutch team is playing in my home town tonight...so lots of orange stuff near the station. And yes, I saw some Lederhosen and nearly burst into tears of hilarity. Good grief they look stupid.

The Leeuwenhosen are also banned from the soccer stadiums at World Cup matches.

After the Cameroon-incident where people were forced to attend the match in their underwear because their Leeuwenhosen were taken from them, Bavaria came up with another ludicrous action. At the camping sites in Germany near Frankfurt, the beer brand is handing out orange UNDERPANTS to the Dutch soccer supporters.

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